The Capitol Games
by flyingfromtheschool
Summary: It's the first Quarter Quell and the Capitol are losing control of Panem. As far as they see there's only one way to prove they are the ones in control: by sending tributes of their own into The Hunger Games. Rated M for future violence and possible sexual references. Fax/Mylan. New Chapter to be released every (other) week.
1. Chapter 1

**~PROLOGUE~**

"Dear citizens of Panem…" The envelope was ready to open, the number "25" written clearly upon it. The seal had already been ripped. Snow already knew the contents and now he was to tell the world the dreaded fate of the upcoming tributes in the next few months. They were already paraded round like pigs for slaughter; I'd seen so for seventeen years. From the year I was made I was forced to watch every game, every performance, every death the Capitol plastered on the screen. Since my birth over 500 people sacrificed their lives voluntarily or through an unlucky draw. I had thought that I'd never have to go through their pain, their humiliation. You see, no one ever escaped the games unscathed. Everyone, even the victors, lose something in the arena. Most pay the only way they can, but the victors lose far more by losing their dignity, sometimes their sanity but most importantly every victor lost their humanity. By killing someone else, looking them in the eye and draining away at least one other person's life, every victor loses the only thing that makes the districts different from the Capitol. Every victor has to live with that, knowing that everyone they walk past knows they are a killer, and such a label can never be placed on someone lightly.

Fortunately, though I lived within one of the many experimental labs within the Capitol. The Capitol never had to give up two of their own, only watch as the sport played out in front of them. Unlike my lab though, most were used to give the Capitol a new industry, taking cosmetic surgery to the extreme. There were waiting lists to have your own whiskers, tails and even wings. We'd had the technology for a few years before it was released; in fact. I named her Angel, and as far as I was concerned she was more of a sister than a friend. A girl who seemed so bright and happy was in the same place as I, with white walls, floors, furniture and of course windows I couldn't smash through. The lingering smell of disinfectant was there to top off the whole look. It was pretty much the opposite of a Jackson Pollock painting. She wasn't the only friend I has though. My other companion was almost a living shadow himself, always dressed in black and barely spoke to anyone except me and Angel. His name was Fang, and he was my shadow almost completely. We were created at the same time but were far from biological siblings. We had a bond that no words could explain but I knew him and could predict his every action. Angel, Fang and I were our own little family and together we lived at "The School". It was a strange name to give to a lab only three children lived in, it wasn't like there was much to learn either. The few things I knew were about the Games themselves and the skills each victor used to survive them. They were the only things I seemed to care about apparently. Snow's voice interrupted that train of thought with him breaking the silence he'd created himself.

"With the first Quarter Quell upon us I would like to stretch out my gratitude to those that are still with us and have shown the sacrifices made by everyone. To remind us all that these sacrifices were not just made by the districts of Panem, the Capitol will be forced to reap or volunteer one boy and one girl to face the rest of the tributes who will be selected through the Reaping process as normal." The golden logo almost shone as the screen reverted to usual screensaver of the capitol logo on top of a visual of the Capitol in the depth of night. I'm not sure what exactly was going through my head, but a part of me knew what the letter stated. Somehow I had guessed how the rest of the day and my life would pan out. The 25th Hunger Games were about to start, and I was bred to be the tribute.


	2. CHAPTER ONE

It seemed that they wanted that information to sink in, as if the idea wasn't already whirling round my head at a million miles an hour already.

"Are you up for that Max?" A whitecoat looked over at me, a stern expression on her face. She knew I didn't have a choice in the matter so what was I meant to do? My first instinct screamed at me to be overly sarcastic. After all she was one of the many people who knew that this was going to happen.

"Yeah, totally! Just throw me in there now." I added an eyebrow roll for emphasis.

"This is serious Max. The whole of Panem isn't the life you've been living. You know that. We need you to show them that we will be firm, we will be harsh but we need to sacrifice as much as they do."

"So you're just going to throw me away to those that have been training kill for years? Make me leave my family to be paired up with twenty-five other people? You think I even know what I'm doing?"

The female in front of me sighed and stood up glancing the Peacekeepers blocking the door. I mentally congratulated myself for not hitting the woman, she _was really starting to_ deserve it. She's taken away everything I knew about myself and didn't seem to care. "Max. You were made to be our weapon. We knew a day like this would come when we would have to fight to maintain our status as Pamen's Capitol. Those alive now do not remember the Dark Days as vividly as those before so are starting to overrule the use of the Games and the Capitol as the city. We need to show them that we're here to stay and that a rebellion won't be taken lightly. I'll leave you to think of those words and I'll see you for lunch shortly. You'll be wearing a different uniform from now on and bring Fang with you…he might prove useful eventually." With that the female left.

"Max, are you alright?" Fang's comforting arm around me brought me back to my senses, he always had that effect on me. The guy who just seemed to know what I needed when I needed and, unfortunately, what I needed right now was a hug. I couldn't have looked more pathetic if I was wrapped in a blanket and crying because of some dumb-ass romantic comedy.

"I'm peachy. Just been told that I'm gonna die in the next few months. How would you feel?"

"Max. I'm with you."

"But you aren't expected to die."

"Aren't I?"

"No Fang. If you were then they'd have warned to. They'd make it so that we'd both get through. They wouldn't sacrifice one person, they'd save us both. That was what we were made for wasn't it? And, Fang, they didn't ask you, how they felt. What if it isn't you?"

"Who else would it be, Max?"

"I don't know but you're not expendable like that."

"Max. Listen to yourself. Their emphasis on _you._ They're focused on you. You aren't expected to lose. You're their champion Max, but I'm not going to be there by your side when it happens. They aren't leaving this open to multiple victors. They need to prove they're the best _without_ pushing the boundaries too far. Without making it seem like they set it all up, at least _initially._ "

Champion? I was more likely to be a part of the blood bath after being killed by some 11 year old kid from district 12. I certainly wasn't going to kill anyone myself. The fact I was meant to be their victor meant that I had to kill at least one other person, and I couldn't do that. At least not kids, not people who couldn't help it. It'd be like hurting Angel, and I couldn't dream of that happening. "Why?" I breathed. "Why would you leave me when I _need_ you?"

"Because I'm the one that's going to die Max. I'm the one that's going to be their male tribute. They only want one of us to live and they've already chosen." He walked over to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows to cool off. The building was high enough for a decent view but smashing through the glass wasn't going to happen anytime soon. None of us were sure what the Capitol had done to it but there was no busting through.

"But…but we'll make it, you'll make it. You know how to fight, know how to do things that will actually help."

"And you know how to beat the crap out of me if you have to." His classic smirk returned, a smirk that had the ability to make me want to hit him and kiss him all at the same time. It really wasn't an appropriate expression but it made me smile a little. "

"You're not dying Fang, none of us are dying. At least you and Angel won't. I won't let that."

"That's the point of the Games, Max. Only the Victor remains."

"Not this time. I can't cope with that. I'll think of something, but you're not dying. They didn't even specify it was you exactly Fang. What if it is someone else?"

"You're not going in there with someone else. I won't let that. I don't try to not what their plan is but I will fight them to make it so you aren't in there alone. It's me or no-one and the Capitol will want to play the rules they set for as long as they can to make people believe they aren't cheating."

He had that right. If you weren't paying attention before then I'll say it again. We were part of an experiment to help the Capitol come up with new cosmetic ideas with included fabricated wings. During this Fang, Angel and I had gotten wings ourselves, just to see if it did indeed worked using different birds and now it seemed the Capitol were putting them to even greater use. "How long have you think they've planned for this?"

"No idea, but how old are we Max?"

"That long? I guess it sounds Capitol like…" I sighed softly, lost in my thoughts for a moment, trying to come up with some solution to the whole 'no one's going to die' plan. I'm not a good planner and I know I'm not but something had to come together, if not now then soon. I had to stop this. We'd been used for their games already, we were being monitored daily already and it was driving me insane. I was getting sick of just being held up in one building but I wouldn't swap this for the Hunger Games. That wasn't my idea of an alternative. A loud ringing noise brought me back to my senses, with Angel tugging at my arm.

"The lunch bell is going off, Maxy!" The young blonde was jumping up and down, dragging me towards the door Somehow Fang had already gotten there and was holding it open for me.

"You need to take your mind off this, at least briefly." His hand brushed through my hair before he pushed me through the door, shutting it behind him.

"You seem completely calm about this." I muttered under my breath. "How are you calm about this?"

"Because you'll figure out what you have to do. You'll do what's best. I know you will."

I was glad someone who I trusted had faith in me because I certainly didn't. It seemed that everyone who was somebody in Panem was counting on me to do something about it by killing people. Didn't seem like much of a game to me but that was what it had been called for twenty-five years. Like most I was just a pawn in a big picture. Put I was a pawn with a purpose and a secret and I had to play to that. I was a pawn in the shoes of the Queen on a chess board. I wasn't controlling the place but without me things weren't looking great. I could use that to my advantage. I just had to work out how.


End file.
